Troubleshooting & FAQ of the Essential Checkout app

Answers to the questions that come up most. If none of these fix it, contact support — we're happy to look at your store.

My rule isn't affecting checkout

Checking a rule's Active status in the list

Work through these in order — it's almost always one of them:

1. Is the rule Active? Open it and check Status is Active (not Inactive), and that you clicked Save afterwards. The list should show an Active badge.
2. Do the conditions actually match your test cart? Re-read the summary on the right of the builder and build a cart that clearly meets it.
3. Are you testing the live checkout? Use an incognito window or a draft order so caching and your admin session don't get in the way.
4. For validations — did you tick the right Check conditions when option? If only Completing the checkout is on, nothing shows until the customer clicks to pay.

A delivery method isn't in the list

The Add delivery method dialog only shows the delivery methods that exist in your store's shipping settings (Settings → Shipping and delivery). If a method is missing:

• Add or enable the shipping rate in Shopify, then reopen the dialog, or
• Add a custom rule — type the name in the search box and pick a match like Contains or Starts with. See Delivery customizations.

A payment method shows a different name than expected

The payment list is a curated set of common methods, because Shopify doesn't hand the app your live gateway labels. If your gateway appears at checkout under a name that isn't in the list, add a custom rule with Contains matching part of the label (e.g. contains "PayPal"). See Payment customizations.

My validation isn't blocking checkout

• It needs at least one condition. A block with no conditions can't be published — the app shows "Add at least one condition to block checkout."
• Check the message position. If Position is set to a specific field, the message shows next to that field, which is easy to miss — try Top of the checkout page while testing.
• Fail-open fallback. If If app fails to load, then is set to Allow customer to complete checkout, a customer can still check out in the rare case the function can't run.

I can't change the rule's type

The type is locked while a rule is Active — you'll see "Unpublish this function to change its customization type." Set Status to Inactive, Save, then change the type. See Managing and publishing your rules.

What happens if the app can't load at checkout?

Each validation rule has an If app fails to load, then setting: Allow lets the customer complete checkout (fail open), Block stops them (fail closed). Choose per rule based on whether a missed block or a lost sale is the bigger risk. Delivery and payment customizations simply fall back to Shopify's default options if they can't run.

Will rules slow down my checkout?

No. Rules run as Shopify Functions, which execute natively inside checkout — they don't add page scripts or network round-trips.

Can I run more than one rule at once?

Yes. Rules are independent and all Active rules apply. Keep an eye on rules that overlap (for example, two payment rules touching the same method) so their effects don't fight each other.

Contact support

Still stuck? Email us at support@essential-apps.com with your store URL and a description of what you expected versus what happened. You can also request a new condition type from the Select condition dialog.